Oh where does the time go?

Our engagement portraits were taken 2 yrs ago today.

I don't know where the time has gone.

We look so much younger, I look so much skinnier, Chance has hair {my hair's about the same}

This is us now: older, not a size 4 anymore, shaven head; but still just as in love.

Tyler Nikolas Buddy Bendel, our baby.

The AKC, who began recognizing Brittanys in 1934, says the following about Brittanys: "The Brittany is a medium-sized, leggy, dual-purpose dog, equally suited for sport and companionship. According to AKC® Registration Statistics, it has surged in popularity in the last 50 years due to its talents as both a hunting and show dog. Originally called the Brittany Spaniel, it is now referred to simply as the Brittany, as its hunting style more closely resembles that of pointing breeds. Its dense, flat or wavy coat can be orange and white or liver and white in either clear or roan patterns. ... A compact, closely knit dog of medium size, a leggy dog having the appearance, as well as the agility, of a great ground coverer. Strong, vigorous, energetic and quick of movement. Ruggedness, without clumsiness, is a characteristic of the breed. He can be tailless or has a tail docked to approximately four inches."

I say that our Brittany, Tyler, is a fierce companion. His loyalty to our family is unwaivering. Though Brittanys are primarily used for hunting, our Tyler has made one heck of a family dog. He is so intelligent and eager to please. We have never given him any formal training, yet he knows to sit, lay, stay {all the usual commands}; he even "points" on instinct! He never ceases to amaze me. He loves his pal "Ducky" {a stuffed duck, imagine that}. He's great with our two cats and loves children. He's seen his share of adversity in his short 2 yrs. On Tyler's first birthday he was hit by a car, breaking his front left leg. At the vet's office he was exposed to parvo and struggled trough several extended vet visits for nearly a month. He recovered and was back to his cheerful self quickly. Then in February of this year he and our sweet Nik ran away. They were gone for nearly a week; Nik didn't make his way home, but thankfully Tyler did with just a few minor cuts and bruises. Tyler has always been my weakness, but since he's been home it's been more of an obsession. He's spoiled to say the least! He's never alone, he's either with Mommy or Daddy or Grandpa is "Tyler-sitting."

I can't say enough wonderful things about our baby, or the breed for that matter. Whenever we are ready for a new little one, we will definitely be going with a Brittany!

Everything

I'm currently obsessed with this guy. Our Brittany Spaniel Tyler. {he's getting his very own big boy post soon} He celebrated his 2nd birthday last week, complete with a puppy-approved birthday cake. Chance says I'm going over-board in my obession. But after we lost Nik I feel the need to make Tyler as happy as I possibly can; and if that means giving him an entire bag of treats all at once, or sharing a "few" bites of everything I eat; then that's just what has to be done. End of story.

A big congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Hughes. Our cousin Cassie got married last Saturday. It was a lovely ceremony! Ryan is in the marines and is stationed in Washington D.C.; Cassie is going to be moving to join him after this semester is over. We are so happy for the both of them!!

This is our back deck. I'm loving the wisteria, but it's seriously lacking some luster. We're trying to decide what to do with it right now. We are hoping to find some old window frames to hang from the sides of the arbor. I think we're going with a pink and red color scheme.

Speaking of gardening, these are my new babies. My pretty pretty poppies have "popped" through!! I can't wait until they're all grown up. I think I'm going to put them in the kitchen.

The Bendel's Easter 2009

We had a delightful Easter, lots of good food and relaxing with family. And of course, since Easter is one of only 4 days that the bridal store is closed all year, I thoroughly enjoyed the day off. It is unbelievable to me that this was our second Easter as "Mr. & Mrs."

This was us last year:

The Bendel's Easter 2008

This whole swine flu thing has me wanting to bathe in anti-bacterial gel, spray my house down with lysol, and put plastic over all the windows and doors. It's terrifying! I'm praying that it doesn't make its way into my small corner of the world.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to make with these beauties that I purchased on Etsy from KellWood. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

No fun.

No fun for me today, it's a gross rainy day. I hate rain! Tyler, who is usually game for anything, doesn't enjoy this weather either; he doesn't like to get wet. Breaking news on the house: Chance went and picked up our heating and air conditioning unit last night {in the pooring rain, it took him 4 hours to make a 2 hour trip.} It was a craigslist find, we got it for like $350.00. I was amazed. Chance checked it and everything is in working order. So now we just need to go to Lowes {our second home}, buy the tub, toilet, and the sink for upstairs and we'll have everything we need for the next step in this process- plumbing! I rearranged all of our boxes yeaterday, pulled out what I wanted to put in the half bath downstairs, and kind of re-prioritized things. I'm seeing a massive upload to eBay in my very near future! I don't know where all that stuff came from, and that's what it is-- STUFF. How do two people accumulate so much??

I want I want I want

J Crew- I love you.

True Friendship...

... is my best friend.

I'm counting down the days until she gets home!

Ummmm,

I scarcely know where to begin. So many things have happened in the past month. Huge changes for the Bendel's. The house is coming right along.. We have new tile in the downstairs bathroom. Just bought a hot water heater yesterday. And we're making HUGE decisions almost daily. Lots of exciting things!! I'm still at the bridal store, no big changes there. Chance is still laid off, no big changes there either. In more upsetting news, we suffered a major loss in our small family. Nik, our beloved dog, our first "child" is no longer with us. A few weeks ago he and Tyler ran off and were missing for 5 days. We were beside ourselves. On the 5th day, while I was at work, Chance found Tyler. He immediately brought Ty home and went back out to look for Nik. When he found him he had been hit by a car. We laid him to rest with his teddy bear and a doggie treat, beneath the tree that is next to our new house; it is his home too. We were devastated by the loss of Nik, but it has made us appreciate our Tyler even more. He's been microchipped and registered on more online sites than I would like to think about. He's jsut now getting back to normal, but has recieved a clean bill of health from Dr. Everett. We love Dr. Everett, and so does Tyler!